Chapter 30
"What happened? What's wrong now?"
Edward frowned at the butler.
The butler said helplessly, "Your computer's stock interface has frozen. The candlestick chart is stuck at the green crash position, and nothing responds no matter how many times I click. Even after shutting down and restarting, it's still the same."
Hearing this, Edward was shocked. "This isn't just an ordinary freeze - we've been hacked, haven't we?"
"Yes, I've already asked the group's security department to look into it. They said we need to get a hacker immediately." The butler was already pulling out his phone. "We're losing money every second, so..."
"I can handle it. Let me try."
A calm, indifferent voice interrupted them.
Both Edward and the butler looked at her in surprise.
Especially Edward. "You know hacking? You're not joking, are you?"
"No."
Charlotte got up from the sofa, walked straight past them, and headed upstairs.
"Getting a hacker now would be too late. The longer this takes, the bigger the loss. Let me do it."
Charlotte pushed open the study door and sat down at the computer with complete composure.
Edward quickly waved his hand, signaling the butler to come help him upstairs.
The two of them reached the study doorway and were stunned by what they saw.
Charlotte had already started working on the computer, her slender fingers typing out string after string of code.
Edward walked over, picked up his reading glasses from the corner of the desk, and stared dumbfounded at the screen full of incomprehensible characters.
"What is this? What are you doing?"
"Breaking their lockdown program. Their method of attacking the stock system is sophisticated - I need to use the most complex firewall."
Charlotte spoke while working, her voice flat. "But don't worry, I'll break through soon and find their IP address."
Edward's mouth dropped open in shock. "You can not only break through but also track them down? Charlotte, your hacking skills are incredible!"
Charlotte didn't respond, focused on infiltrating their system and locking onto their location.
She released the mouse and leaned back in the chair with interest, crossing her arms.
"So it's them."
Former opponents she'd defeated.
Edward stepped forward. "Who did this?"
"AeroHackers."
A deep, magnetic voice came from the doorway, carrying an ambiguous undertone.
Charlotte turned her head to meet Alexander's probing gaze.
She paused slightly.
When did he get here?
He looked like he'd been standing at the door for quite a while.
"What hacker team? Are they good?" Edward asked, confused.
Alexander walked over, his eyes fixed on Charlotte as he explained, "It's an overseas operation, a top-tier hacking team that specializes in hacking major corporations' stock accounts and stealing money. They're ranked fourth in the world."
He came directly to Charlotte, reached out, and gently pressed on the chair she was sitting in, then clicked the mouse on the large logo on the screen.
"Ms. Johnson is impressive - you actually defeated the world's fourth-ranked hacking team. Your skills must be in the top three globally. All those hackers have names and reputations. Which one are you?"
Alexander stared intently at Charlotte, his thin lips parting slightly. "Are you Zero? Or S? Or perhaps..."
"I'm not any of them."
Charlotte interrupted, remaining calm as ever, looking up to meet Alexander's probing eyes without changing expression.
"But I can tell you that my teacher is Zero, the number one ranked hacker."
Alexander's eyes darkened.
"Your teacher is Zero?"
His tone carried a rare note of seriousness.
Charlotte caught it keenly.
She stepped forward and spoke before he could: "Yes, my teacher is the famous Zero. That's why I have these abilities. But she only taught me some techniques for blocking attacks on financial systems two years ago. Other than that, I didn't learn any of her other skills. We haven't been in contact for a long time, and I don't know where she is now."
Charlotte's expression showed a rare hint of regret.
Alexander looked at her thoughtfully, about to ask more when Edward clapped his hands happily.
"Good, good, good! I knew Ms. Johnson was a rare talent - not only can you play piano, but you can also use hacking skills to solve such an urgent problem for me! Without you, I don't know how much money I would have lost today!"
Charlotte smiled modestly, then closed the computer and stood up.
"Your stock system is back to normal. No one will be able to drain money from it anymore."
The butler appeared at the door right on cue, reminding them: "Dinner is ready, and everyone has arrived. Let's all go downstairs."
Hearing this, Edward nodded. "Let's go, let's go eat."
He warmly invited Charlotte, appreciating her even more, walking and smiling with satisfaction.
"I knew becoming friends with Ms. Johnson was the right choice - look at the huge favor she just did for me!"
Edward beamed, praising Charlotte lavishly.
Charlotte maintained her unruffled demeanor throughout.
As she went downstairs, she keenly sensed a gaze on her back the entire time.
She knew it was Alexander's eyes on her, but she didn't look back.
When she came down, Charlotte saw three people already seated at the dining table on the side of the living room.
Seeing Edward come down, all three stood up.
One of them, upon seeing Charlotte, immediately widened their eyes and blurted out: "What are you doing here?"
Charlotte looked up at the speaker - it was Chloe.
She stared over in shock and disbelief, as if Charlotte's presence here was incredibly surprising.
Charlotte's expression remained cold as she glanced at her.
Mandy and Benjamin beside her both had slightly strange looks in their eyes, but neither said anything.
Charlotte walked straight past them, following Edward.
Mandy bit her lip, her tone somewhat forced: "Didn't you say this was a family dinner? Why is Ms. Johnson here?"
Benjamin chimed in: "Yeah, Chloe is my fiancée, so it makes sense for her to be here. But Charlotte has no connection to us - having her at our private family dinner seems inappropriate."
His eyes were full of hostility as he looked at Charlotte.
Edward's expression changed, then he glared at them with displeasure. "I invited you to have dinner with me - do I need your permission on who else to invite? Or are you saying you're in a position to manage my affairs now?"